2013 fiat 500 Reviews and News

Americans get one Fiat 500 Abarth model while Europeans get two: the 135-horsepower Abarth and 180-horsepower Abarth Esseesse. Fiat thought the lesser Euro-market Abarth was too wimpy for the States so it only sent the high-performance model here. However, that makes a major gap in horsepower (and in price) between our Abarth and the second, er, sportiest 500 sold here, the Sport. Porca vacca! But the solution was simple enough: send over the 135-hp Abarth from Europe, and market it as something that fills the space between Sport and Abarth.

Enter the Fiat 500 Turbo. Essentially a chop-and-glue of a Sport and an Abarth, almost everything on the Turbo is shelf-sourced. It costs $20,200, which puts it roughly midway between its two donors. It's easy to see a less powerful and less expensive turbocharged 500 as a lesser Abarth, but it's more appropriate to look at the Turbo as a $2000 package for the 500 Sport. For that money, you get: an extra 34 horsepower and 52 lb-ft of torque; a transaxle with equal-length half shafts; blacked-out headlights and taillights; better brakes; a crisp-sounding exhaust; bolder front and rear fascias; and a leather-wrapped shift knob. On paper, that's a good investment -- hell, the Development Package for a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG costs $6050 and it doesn't do much more -- but is it worth it?

Aesthetically, yes. The Sport is cuddlier than a CareBear in a Christmas sweater, and the Abarth is almost as outrageous as its spokesman, the inimitable Charlie Sheen. The Turbo is a far cry from both, blending butch and cute better than Gina Carano. It looks bold and a touch devil-may-care, and we really dig the gloss black headlights (as does one of Fiat's own PR guys who already swapped them into his Abarth).

Athletically, the Turbo is a damn sight more enthusiastic than a Sport. Even though it has less horsepower than a Hyundai Accent, the 2477-lb Fiat can carve through the urban crawl with forced-induction confidence. This poise is especially welcome on the highway, where passing doesn't require a double downshift the way it does in the Sport. The only issue is that while the Turbo is faster in the straights, it's no more enjoyable than the Sport in the turns. Chalk this up to their virtually identical chassis; the Turbo does use the front brake rotors and front lower control arms from the Abarth but doesn't get other Abarth niceties like a rear antiroll bar, a limited-slip differential, or a seductive straight exhaust. The Turbo does use the Abarth's five-speed manual transmission that has shorter ratios (no automatic is available). The EPA says the Turbo gets the same fuel economy as the Abarth: 28 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway.

With our first drive of this car came our first encounter with Fiat's new, optional Beats audio system. While bump in the trunk is appreciated, it comes at a premium beyond cost. If the Fiat 500's cargo area were a space on the Monopoly board game, it'd be smack dab between Boardwalk and Go. At 9.5 cubic feet, it's valuable real estate that shouldn't be sacrificed, and the Beats subwoofer gobbles up a significant amount of it.

The 500 lineup is growing. The convertible Fiat 500 Abarth is coming stateside, and now there's an all-electric version of the hatch. Not to mention the outsized 500L, which looks like a 500 that's bulking up for a Raging Bull sequel. The Turbo, then, fills a noticeable hole in the burgeoning lineup. The short, $2500 hop from Turbo to Abarth might draw some buyers to the scorpion-badged 500, but we think the Turbo's driving dynamics are spot-on for a car with such a small footprint that's aimed at a milder crowd. Fiat made a strong choice bringing the weaker Abarth here.

New For 2013

Buyers can now purchase an optional 368-watt “Beats by Dr. Dre” audio system, and two new paint colors are available: luce blu (light blue) and verde azzurro (blue-green). Manual-transmission models get different gear ratios to increase off-the-line acceleration and augment fuel economy between 1 and 2 mpg. Sport and Turbo models add premium leather seating, and the 500 Turbo is all-new for 2013.

Overview

The Abarth was a late addition to the 2012 Fiat 500 range and this year brings the addition of another new model, the 500 Turbo. The Turbo uses the 1.4-liter MultiAir turbocharged engine from the Abarth but makes 135 hp to the Abarth’s 160 hp, and it has the underpinnings of the normally aspirated Sport model instead of the Abarth’s uprated suspension, wheels, differential, and transmission. That isn’t to say the existing 500 is slow: the 1.4-liter four-cylinder MultiAir engine—good for 101 hp—only has to move about 2400 pounds, so the 500 has relatively brisk performance. Manual-transmission, non-turbo models get a slightly tweaked transmission for 2013 that allows the hatch to get off the line quicker and finally hit the 40-mpg highway mark. For drivers who don’t want three pedals, the optional six-speed automatic has both manual shift and sport modes. Although the 500 is designed to seat four passengers, rear legroom measures just under 32 inches, which means space is tight. The benefit is that, at 139.6 inches long, the 500 will fit almost anywhere and makes parallel parking a breeze. Inside, you’ll find modern technology with a retro feel. Behind the two-tone dash are the voice-activated, hands-free Blue&Me infotainment system and an optional TomTom portable GPS navigation unit.

Safety

Front, knee, side, and side curtain air bags; stability and traction control; a tire-pressure monitoring system; and ABS are standard. Hill-start assist is standard on all trim levels, and audible rear park assist is optional on the top-of-the-line Lounge model.

You'll like:

Chic Italian styling

Peppy engine, especially on the Abarth variant

Maneuverable

You won't like:

Bouncy ride on Abarth model

Premium fuel recommended

So-so fuel economy with automatic

Key Competitors For The 2013 Fiat 500

Karl Abarth is that guy you wish you could be. He was an Austrian who raced motorcycles before taking Italian cars and turning them into racing cars back in the early 1960s. Successful racing cars, too. So successful that the Italians fell in love with Abarth and made him one of their own. Now his name is synonymous with Italy and one Italian automaker in particular—Fiat.

Fiat certainly makes interesting choices in terms of celebrity endorsements. After a series of much-maligned ads with Jennifer Lopez for the debut of the 500 in 2011, Fiat has again turned to none other than Charlie Sheen for the newest commercial for the 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio.

It’s a boat. It’s a sub. It’s a…Fiat? These may look like brand new 2013 Fiat 500 hatchbacks, but don’t be fooled – they’re actually purpose-built watercraft made to look exactly like the latest Cinquecento.

An ad featuring the 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio features what might be the most talked about photos in the upcoming ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue. Why? Because the print ad showcases a life-sized replica of the hot hatch made up of female models who are essentially naked. It's creative, it's provocative, and there's an accompanying video that documents the photo shoot from start to finish.

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